Packing for Boarding School? Our Top Tips

Bring Lots of Reminders of Home

If you’re preparing to attend a boarding school, you’re on the cusp of learning valuable lessons both in and out of the classroom, discovering a new level of independence, and creating lifelong friends. However, these exciting changes will often be accompanied by other natural challenges like homesickness, but you’ll get through them with time.

• To help you feel at home, pack special personal items such as photos and teddies; the more personal pieces you carry, the more settled you’ll feel – for instance, a framed family photo or some pictures of your pets.
• Bring a familiar blanket, cushion, or a few other small furnishings to decorate your room with.

Avoid Packing Too Many Clothes

Most students find themselves in the classic trap of bringing too many clothes. When you bring a lot of clothes, you’ll probably end up not wearing them all, and they’ll take up much of your luggage and wardrobe space.

• To avoid bringing too many clothes, we recommend that you only bring clothes that are suitable for the first term – when you return home during the school holidays you can bring more for the next term.
• Remember, most British boarding schools have a school uniform, so most of your time will be spent wearing that.
• Pre-order your school uniform and sports kit with the school’s shop, so all of your new uniform will be waiting for you when you arrive at the boarding house. This means you only need to pack uniform accessories, like shoes and socks.
• Think about the social scenarios you’ll need casual clothes for, like weekend trips and evening events. Plan a few outfits and just bring the same clothes you’d wear at home for these.
• Don’t forget to bring along a set of comfy clothes, sweatpants and hoodies are great for lounging in your boarding house during evenings and weekends.

Create A Packing Checklist (Use Ours)

Most schools provide a packing list of what you should bring to school, you should use your school’s one as a starting point. If your school doesn’t have one, or you’re looking for more ideas – check out our Ultimate Packing List.

• Once you know what you need and don’t need to bring, make a list to avoid forgetting anything. You can add your own items to our Ultimate Packing List.
• Some boarding schools will allow you to send your items to them prior to your arrival day, this isn’t normally necessary unless you or your school has special requirements – check with your school for clarification.
• Don’t worry if you don’t remember to put everything on your list, most boarding schools have shops nearby, or you can buy it online and have it delivered.

Label Your Uniform and Clothes

The great thing about following the school’s packing list is that you’re aware of all the items you need to bring. However, you’ll have the same things as all the other students, making it easy for your items to get lost in the laundry room.

• Ensure you attach name labels to all generic items like uniform and sports kit, the school shop may be able to do this for you if you order in advance.
• Label anything you bring from home that might get lost in the wash, like socks, underwear, t-shirts, trousers, shorts, shirts – almost everything!
• If you don’t want to label everything, ask the school if they allow laundry nets. Laundry nets keep your clothes together when they’re washed and dried.
• Buy extra name labels to replace any labels that fall off and to attach to any new uniform or clothes that you buy later.

Don’t Bring a Year’s Supply

Parents and students sometimes shop for a year’s worth of products or clothes. While this may seem like a great idea, it’s just not necessary, particularly if you’re an overseas student and have restrictions on the weight of your luggage.

• Unless they’re unavailable in the UK, or a specialist item, only bring a small quantity of toiletries, snacks and other consumables to get you started. You can buy larger quantities once you’ve arrived at your school.
• What’s the weather like for this term? Most students return home in the holidays so there’s no need to bring clothes for all four seasons. Knowing what the weather will be like will help you pack the right clothes.

Most boarding schools provide regular trips to the shops, so you’ll have ample time to restock the essentials and buy anything else you require.

Find Out What You Don’t Need

British boarding schools provide a lot of stuff for their students, so before you purchase something that’s not on the school’s packing list, check that they don’t provide it already. As an example, most boarding schools provide all the furniture you’ll need, like a bed, bedding, and a desk.

• Check if the school provide towels for showering and swimming, you might not need to bring your own.
• Laundry detergent, in most cases the boarding house will take care of all of your laundry, which means you don’t need to bring any washing powder.
• It is highly unlikely that you’ll need to purchase any furniture, but if you decide you need additional furnishings it’s better to buy them on your arrival to reduce the cost of transporting them.

If you’re an overseas student looking to study in the UK, the OBAS Group is here to help. We offer courses from the best British educational institutions, ranging from summer schools to full primary, secondary and further education programs. Please contact us with any queries or visit our FAQ page to learn more about what we offer.